May 1, 2014 10:00am by David Farrar

NZ leading in crime prevention

New Zealand leads the world in crime prevention and putting victims first, according to a visiting criminologist.

Gloria Laycock, a professor of crime science at University College, London, is in New Zealand for the Leading Justice Symposium, held yesterday in Wellington.

She told attendees, including Prime Minister John Key and Justice Minister Judith Collins, that New Zealand’s approach to fighting crime is working.

“I think you think you’re not doing too well, but I actually think you’re right at the top,” she said on Firstline this morning.

“The way things are going in New Zealand, you’ll be having people beating a path to your door.”

Ms Collins says crime in New Zealand is at a 36-year low, which she attributes to stiffer sentencing, rehabilitation “attitudinal change”, among other things.

The Government has had a sensible mix of policies – taking a hard line on repeat serious and violent offenders, plus making parole and bail harder – but also investing heavily in rehabilitation, drug and alcohol treatments and the like.